Mental health to be boosted

At least 20 percent of patients in Kenyan hospitals have some form of mental illness and up to five percent of Kenyans suffer from depression.

This problem is compounded by the low number of qualified psychiatrists in the country, which currently stands at 80, with 75 percent of them based in urban areas.

These revelations were made yesterday during the ongoing African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals Conference in Red Court Hotel, Nairobi.

Under the theme of ‘Mental health in Africa: emerging challenges’, the conference intends to promote continued professional development and equip participants with up to date knowledge in the field of mental health.

 While opening the conference, Medical Services Minister Prof. Anyang Nyong’o said that the government has embarked on a plan to prioritise prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, among them mental illnesses. Prof. Nyong’o added that his ministry will consider increased allocation of funds and devolution of health services to address prevalent mental illnesses in rural areas.

According to Dr. Marx Okonji, chairman of the Kenya Psychiatric Association, the solution lies in training health workers on matters concerning mental health then deploying them to rural areas. This, he said, is one of the major aims of the conference.

The three-day conference brings together participants from all English-speaking African Countries, South of the Sahara. It discusses, among others, issues to do with funding for mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, substance use HIVand AIDS and mental health in special populations.